


Not The Life It Seems

by captain_starcat



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-22
Updated: 2010-02-22
Packaged: 2017-10-07 11:24:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_starcat/pseuds/captain_starcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. MCR, with powers, if they'd gone to boarding school like in the 'I'm Not Okay' video. (Think high school X-Men. With ties.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not The Life It Seems

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted Feb. 7, 2008

_What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?_

They called them the Freak Show. The nicer ones, anyway. The cruder ones called them all sorts of things, but the general consensus was that they were the Freak Show. "We got our own private circus here!" They would shout, laughing and elbowing their friends. They abused them mercilessly.

Mainly, it was to hide the fear.

_I've told you time and time again,_

As a result, the so-called Freak Show became closer, united to put up a strong front against the rest of the world, dealing with their differences as well as they could. Frank was always out there when it came to his...ability; never trying to hide it or pretend it didn't exist. Mischievous to a fault, he took delight in borrowing a lighter off someone and making the fire do tricks right in front of the worst of their opponents, causing them to blanch and leave the scene as fast as they could without making it seem like they were actively retreating. This obviously didn't endear him or the other guys to the rest of the school, but considering all the shit they put up with, it was nice to have an offense.

_You sing the words but don't know what it means_

Unlike Frank, Ray tried to keep his power hidden, but it wasn't really like he could control it. The rest of the school tended to notice things like the sparks that crackled through his hair when he'd had it with the constant abuse. When it got to him _really_ badly, the wind would start whipping around fallen leaves, picking up dust and blowing everyone's clothes about. And then there was that time when those kids had gotten hold of Gerard's glasses and were shining a flashlight in his eyes, making him scream and claw at his face. Mikey was about ten feet away, on his knees, rocking back and forth and clutching his head—he was always more sensitive to his brother than anyone else. Ray had stormed in, eyes practically glowing, and (as Frank had said later, grinning like an idiot) "had gone all Zeus on their asses."

_To be a joke and look, another line without a hook_

Gerard, at least, theoretically had the option of being "normal". Photosensitivity could easily be dealt with; the prescription contacts in their little case on the edge of his sink testified to that. Really, he could just slip on said contacts every morning (and maybe a pair of sunglasses, too, just for good measure), walk out of the lair he called his room and be like everyone else. But he didn't. He couldn't. Although not victim to the same extremities of power as his friends, he suffered a different sort of exile. No sort of contacts, glasses or otherwise could change the fact the Gerard Way was a misanthropic comic geek for whom the word "normal" and the concept of "fitting in" were so far from applying that it was fairly ridiculous to even consider it. Besides, the guys in the Freak Show were practically family (well, Mikey actually was family, but that wasn't the point), and he'd never abandon them—especially not for this "normality" thing.

_I held you close as we both shook_

Mikey probably had it the worst. High school is always a particularly volatile time, what with the raging hormones in the full onslaught of puberty. Emotions ran wild, and Mikey felt every mood swing. A combination of dampening medication and training to strengthen his mental blocks meant he could attend class with little discomfort, though he was always the most vulnerable when waking up or falling asleep. Luckily, his empathic abilities had only a certain range, so he could sleep in a different wing of the building and escape the rest of the school's collective teenage crises. But no matter where he was, Mikey could always faintly feel his brother's presence—and that was more of a comfort than he let anyone know.

_For the last time, take a good hard look_

Matt might not have been the best friend, but the fact that he would hang out with the rest of the Freak Show and risk social shunning—even though he lacked powers himself—went a long way in their books. Rumors that he was selling them out for attention, however, came right when his family announced their plan to move across the country, and no one parted on great terms. A month later, a new kid arrived: part cat and bearing a drum set, Bob fit like the piece they didn't know they were missing.

_I'm not okay..._

Sure, they would always be the Freak Show, whether they liked it or not. But when the band inevitably formed, Ray, Frank, Mikey, Bob and Gerard decided they preferred Mikey's name-child, My Chemical Romance, over the lingering reminder of their teenage shame and glory. And the rest, as they say, is history.

_But you really need to listen to me  
Because I'm telling you the truth  
I mean this, I'm okay  
(Trust Me)_

**Author's Note:**

> **Potentially useful info:**   
> [Power Profiles](http://captain-bookcat.livejournal.com/79445.html?format=light)
> 
> **Acknowledgments:** Unfortunately, none of this is true. Unless everything they've ever told us has been an elaborate cover-up complete with faked photos and massive amounts of people in on it. Which just doesn't seem likely, now does it? &gt;_&gt; Also, the whole power 'verse belongs to the lovely people over at [](http://community.livejournal.com/powergeneration/profile)[**powergeneration**](http://community.livejournal.com/powergeneration/) who infected my brain with this bunny in the first place.


End file.
